Does anyone carb cycle?

billyeann90
billyeann90 Posts: 86 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone do carb cycling? What kind of results did you have from it and whats a safe amount of time to carb cycle?

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    I did for a while to support my training. It helped with my heavy lifting days but I was also eating at maintenance. I was at 325 to 350g of carbs on heavy lifting days.

    It wont help with weight loss unless it helps keep you in a deficit and doesn't impede you getting adequate protein.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited March 2018
    "carb cycling to help activate fat loss with hiit"

    Sorry that's not how your body works.
    Carb cycle for adherence or enjoyment or even peaking for an event - but "activating fat loss" is nonsense.
    If you are in a calorie deficit you will be losing fat.
  • billyeann90
    billyeann90 Posts: 86 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    "carb cycling to help activate fat loss with hiit"

    Sorry that's not how your body works.
    Carb cycle for adherence or enjoyment or even peaking for an event - but "activating fat loss" is nonsense.
    If you are in a calorie deficit you will be losing fat.

    I started back at the end of september. Since ive lost 36 pounds. I did go through some tramatic life events between december to end of February. In that time i did still lose 8 pounds. I guess i am just frustrated haha. Ive seen great results from other folks on facebook from carb cycling which is why i decided to come here and gey opinions from the real experts. I really do not want to do anything unhealthy that will cause me to spiral backwards.
  • billyeann90
    billyeann90 Posts: 86 Member
    Now i feel like i totally bought into bullcrap. :lol:
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,356 Member
    edited March 2018
    Your loss rate expectations are excessive unless you're morbidly obese. You have averaged more than 7 pounds a month and you're unhappy.
  • billyeann90
    billyeann90 Posts: 86 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Your loss rate expectations are excessive unless you're morbidly obese. You have averaged more than 7 pounds a month and you're unhappy.

    No please dont mistaken my frustration for unhappiness!!!! Im extremely proud of myself!! I feel as if ive lost weight in a healthy time frame. I just want to up my goal. I have 50 pounds left to lose and want to take my weight loss from 5-7 pounds a month to 10-15.
  • andreaen
    andreaen Posts: 365 Member
    Seems you have gotten some good answers above, carb cycling works if it brings you in a caloric deficit for the total of the week. I do it because I like having the variabilities and getting to eat a lot of food on my high days. Other than that there's no magic to it except for maybe giving some extra fuel for workouts or having higher variability in water weight as carbs makes you hold on to more water.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I did calorie/carb cycling when I was leaning out last year.. mostly for personal adherence and workout performance. I don't think there are any other true benefits to it. It worked well for me and allowed me to stick to my deficit all summer.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    billyeann90 wrote: »
    Now i feel like i totally bought into bullcrap. :lol:

    You aren't the first and you won't be the last..... :)
    There is no money to be made from the simple advice of "eat a bit less, move a bit more" and unfortunately it's money that drives the weight loss industry and all its hangers-on.

    To a large degree the money is to be made from people failing to lose weight because they are repeat customers.
    In reality there's no requirement for special foods or special exercise routines.

    I would caution against rapid weight loss, it raises the chances of falling off the wagon and raises the chance of being really disappointed with how you look and feel if you do get to goal weight.

    Think ahead to next year rather than next month.
  • billyeann90
    billyeann90 Posts: 86 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    billyeann90 wrote: »
    Now i feel like i totally bought into bullcrap. :lol:

    You aren't the first and you won't be the last..... :)
    There is no money to be made from the simple advice of "eat a bit less, move a bit more" and unfortunately it's money that drives the weight loss industry and all its hangers-on.

    To a large degree the money is to be made from people failing to lose weight because they are repeat customers.
    In reality there's no requirement for special foods or special exercise routines.

    I would caution against rapid weight loss, it raises the chances of falling off the wagon and raises the chance of being really disappointed with how you look and feel if you do get to goal weight.

    Think ahead to next year rather than next month.

    Thank you! You're so right. I should have just came back to mfp instead of wasting my money. That mistake will not happen again!
    And I totally needed to hear that. I need to stop being hard on myself and be proud of 4- 5 pound a month loss! Loss is still loss even if it takes a year longer than i had anticipated. Lol!
    I feel amazing and im honestly so proud of myself. I shall just keep doing what im doing because like you said rapid weight loss will make me fall off the wagon and i by no means want that to happen.
    Thank you again!
  • billyeann90
    billyeann90 Posts: 86 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I did calorie/carb cycling when I was leaning out last year.. mostly for personal adherence and workout performance. I don't think there are any other true benefits to it. It worked well for me and allowed me to stick to my deficit all summer.

    You look amazing!!! (From the tiny photo i see) I think the concept was totally misrepresented and like you and everyone said is to help more trained athletes.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    I carb cycle - low day is 330g; high day is 420g; on low day I have 15g more fat

    I’m 5’3”, 157lbs, female and losing slowly; avg 2600-2900cal a day
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited March 2018
    billyeann90 wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    I did for a while to support my training. It helped with my heavy lifting days but I was also eating at maintenance. I was at 325 to 350g of carbs on heavy lifting days.

    It wont help with weight loss unless it helps keep you in a deficit and doesn't impede you getting adequate protein.

    Have you heard of vshred? Vince explains carb cycling to help activate fat loss with hiit
    I do know a lot of people use carb cycling to overcome plateus. I just want to find something to boost the fat loss while gaining muscle at home. Then finding an effective way to maintain a healthy diet while not feeling hungry.

    Please do not mention me Vince Cavaliere (people who know what's going on will get this one)
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    billyeann90 wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I did calorie/carb cycling when I was leaning out last year.. mostly for personal adherence and workout performance. I don't think there are any other true benefits to it. It worked well for me and allowed me to stick to my deficit all summer.

    You look amazing!!! (From the tiny photo i see) I think the concept was totally misrepresented and like you and everyone said is to help more trained athletes.

    Thanks! Yea that photo was when I ended my cut and started my bulk last October. I would do two days a week lower calorie and fairly low carb (my cardio or rest days), three days medium and two days high calorie/high carb (usually on weekends). I think if you have experience with your calories and what works it's great, but in the beginning you don't need to overcomplicate it!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,356 Member
    edited March 2018
    billyeann90 wrote: »
    I feel as if ive lost weight in a healthy time frame. I just want to up my goal. I have 50 pounds left to lose and want to take my weight loss from 5-7 pounds a month to 10-15.

    Which is an un-realistic and not particularly healthy expectation. You should be currently continuing as before while contemplating tapering, not increasing, your weight loss rate in a few more lbs.

    I see in another post that you seem more open to 4 lbs a month. That is much more realistic, especially if your TDEE is not exceedingly high.

    Glad to hear this.

    As you get closer to the normal weight range you may want to start using a trending weight app or web site to record your weight trend instead of your "spot" weight. This gives you a better over-all picture and helps you when movement is slower than before when you had more fat reserves available to lose.
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